Top 10 Easy Steps to Starting a Business Blog

Though they had been around for many years, blogs burst on the scene as a hot marketing tool around 2003 when marketers discovered easy-to-use blogging platforms like Blogger, Typepad, and WordPress.

However, just because anyone can set up a blog, doesn’t mean everyone should, and many professionals and businesses start blogging without giving any thought to why, how and who will be doing the blogging.

Over 50 percent of blogs are abandoned within the first 90 days. While this isn’t really important if you’re writing a personal diary, political or celebrity blog, it is very important if you start a blog for your business and don’t keep posting on it consistently and with purpose.

When a prospect lands on a blog that hasn’t been updated in months, it’s akin to walking into a vacant store with busted windows and dust blowing in. It’s just not pretty; and it doesn’t look good for you, your business reputation and your branding.

What Is a Business Blog?

Because a blog is an inexpensive, fast way to build an online presence, it is an ideal way for business entrepreneurs, coaches, consultants, speakers, authors and other professionals to establish their credibility and expertise. Since your readers can post comments, you create a conversation with your audience and build rapport and trust as a result.

The very nature of a blog is perfect for the busy professional. They are quick and easy to update. You are creating fresh content frequently (two to three times a week is recommended minimum) that is useful to your prospects and customers and loved by search engines. In contrast to “traditional” static website, a blog is a dynamic site that encourages your visitors to interact with you through commenting so they can get to know you better.

When you create a conversation with your audience (visitors, readers, prospects), you are establishing your credibility. You build your network and increase the visibility of your products and services in a casual way.

A blog is an essential tool in the professional’s marketing toolbox. Combined with a website, an ezine, database management and ecommerce system, you will have everything you need to develop and run your business globally and online.

Copyblogger.com makes it easy to find articles about the core message and there are several ways to generate leads and build a list.

Do your research. Alltop.com compiles the best blogs on hundreds of topics so you can check out your competition.

10 Steps for Starting Your Blog

Before you get to the nitty-gritty of setting up your blog, there is some pre-work to do. This will ensure you start right and put your best foot forward

1. Before you do anything else, examine the reasons why you want to publish a blog. What is the purpose for the blog? How does the blog’s purpose relate to your business purpose?

2. What are the businessobjectives or outcomes you want from your business blog? Some people use a blog as a lead generator to build their database. Some are looking to build a visibility platform, while others use the blog to develop content for other purposes like books, articles and programs. What do you want to get out of your blog?

3. Who is your ideal reader? Who are you writing to/for? For most businesses I’ve worked with, the ideal reader is similar to their ideal client. It’s important to know your audience so you can meet their needs and address their concerns, challenges and what they’re looking for to improve their lives.

4. How do you want your readers to feel when they read your blog? This may seem like a weird question, yet it will help you tap into the emotions of your audience. Do you want your reader to be inspired, motivated, and moved to action? Again, tapping into this will help you focus your content on serving your reader.

5. What do you want your readers to DO when they read your blog? This relates to the goals you set for your blog. If your blog is a lead generator, then you must have very clear steps for guiding your reader to subscribe to get blog updates and/or get your lead generating content.

6. How much time do you have to devote to your blog each week? This is getting to the heart of blogging. If you can’t commit to writing a lot of valuable content, then you’re doing yourself and your readers a disservice. Be honest. The most effective and successful blogs are those with fresh, new content posted at least two to three times per week. Is that reasonable for you to manage? Will you have a team of bloggers? Remember, there are many, many ways to create content. It doesn’t have to be all you all the time.

7. What’s your blog’s core message? This relates to the topic of your blog and the niche you are focused on. What do you want your readers to learn? Why should anyone read your blog, and more importantly why should they subscribe to and follow your blog? This is another key piece to get in place before you start your blog. Brian Clark, publisher of Copyblogger.com, recommends creating “cornerstone content.” This is a series of posts that articulates your core message and provides new readers with an introduction and overview of what they can expect to learn from you.

8. Create an editorial calendar. It’s no secret that content rules on a blog, so it’s helpful to have a content plan going into the game. A key element of a good blog is having a list of 7-10 keyword-rich categories. Once you determine the categories (or subtopics) of your blog, you can plan your content calendar. If you plan on posting three times per week, then plot out post ideas for each of your categories. Make a list of 5 topics for each category. Then, fill in your calendar. Five topics times ten categories and you’ve got 50 blog posts in the pipeline.

9. Do your homework. Critical to your blog’s success is knowing your competition. Who is already blogging in your niche? What are they writing about? If blogs in your niche are scarce, this may be a great opportunity to dominate the search engines with your own content. Finding great blogs will take a bit of time and research. Start at Technorati.com and search for blogs using your keywords. Next use Alltop.com and Blogs.com to find the best of the best.

10. Build your blog. Now that the research is done, you know your message and have content ready to go, it’s time to get down to business and build the blog. This is where the fun part starts and cannot be easily covered in a bullet point. Two things to think about: 1) Are you a do-it-yourselfer or will someone build the blog for you? and 2) Are you a techie or not? There are many blogging platforms each with pros and cons. If you’re a techie, you may prefer WordPress.org. If you’re not comfortable with tech stuff, then TypePad may be a better option for you.

As you can see, there’s more to business blogging than initially meets the eye. The more preparation and thought you put into your blog BEFORE you start, the more successful it will be. Once the prep work is done and the blog is built, you’ll have a powerful marketing tool for creating a highly visible web presence and attracting the right people to your business.

What else would you add to this list to prep your blog for success? Share your best blogging tips in the comments below.

Denise Wakeman is an Online Marketing Advisor and Founder of The Blog Squad. You can learn more about business blogging on Build a Better Blog. Other posts byDenise Wakeman »

http://NaomiTrower.com Naomi Trower

Hi Denise! Love this post! I have noticed that finding other blogs that are similiar in your specific niche is very helpful as well. It’s neat to meet and collaborate with other like minded bloggers for ideas and ways to support each other. I love learning from you as always.

http://NaomiTrower.com Naomi Trower

Hi Denise! Love this post! I have noticed that finding other blogs that are similiar in your specific niche is very helpful as well. It’s neat to meet and collaborate with other like minded bloggers for ideas and ways to support each other. I love learning from you as always.

http://www.denisewakeman.com DeniseWakeman

Hey Naomi, thanks for your kind words. Reaching out to other bloggers in your niche can create numerous opportunities and it’s something many bloggers neglect to do. Blog on!

http://www.denisewakeman.com DeniseWakeman

Hey Naomi, thanks for your kind words. Reaching out to other bloggers in your niche can create numerous opportunities and it’s something many bloggers neglect to do. Blog on!

http://www.howtousefacebookforbusiness.com/ Kimberly Yow

Nice post Denise. Too many entrepreneurs and businesses start blogs simply because they think “it is the thing to do” or a friend told them to do it. A little planning, as suggested in your post, goes a long way toward a successful blog!

http://www.howtousefacebookforbusiness.com/ Kimberly Yow

Nice post Denise. Too many entrepreneurs and businesses start blogs simply because they think “it is the thing to do” or a friend told them to do it. A little planning, as suggested in your post, goes a long way toward a successful blog!

http://www.sacredconnectionjourneys.com/ Dr. Amy McLaughlin

Thanks, Denise. This was a great read. I have a blog and tend to not be very consistent, though I know that is important. You have posed some very thought provoking points that will hopefully provoke me to write more blogs. : ) Thanks again.
Dr. Amy

http://www.denisewakeman.com DeniseWakeman

Yes indeed, a little planning goes a long way. An unfocused blog tends to be unsuccessful in the long run. Thanks for your comment!

http://www.denisewakeman.com DeniseWakeman

Yes indeed, a little planning goes a long way. An unfocused blog tends to be unsuccessful in the long run. Thanks for your comment!

http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com Michael A. Stelzner

Hey Dr. Amy;

The key tip#8 is having an editorial calender. This is really helpful to keep you motivated.

Mike

http://www.denisewakeman.com DeniseWakeman

Thanks, Dr. Amy. Being consistent and constant with your blogging will pay off in the long run. It’s all about developing a habit and sticking to it.

http://www.denisewakeman.com DeniseWakeman

Thanks, Dr. Amy. Being consistent and constant with your blogging will pay off in the long run. It’s all about developing a habit and sticking to it.

http://www.themarketingmindset.com/ Kathleen Gage

As always Denise, very informative article. Of course, this is exactly how one creates value for their market. And if anyone knows this, you do.

Anonymous

This post will help me with two clients who are dragging their feet on creating a blog. Thank you.

http://www.inconsequentiallogic.com Roschelle

This definitely was an enlightening post. Although, I would classify my blog as a personal one. Nevertheless, any blog is a business blog. We’re all selling something. Tangible merchandise, information, avenue for stress relief, advice, etc….bloggers are salesman and often don’t even realize it. Our readers are our customers…Thanks for the tips and food for thought

http://www.inconsequentiallogic.com Roschelle

This definitely was an enlightening post. Although, I would classify my blog as a personal one. Nevertheless, any blog is a business blog. We’re all selling something. Tangible merchandise, information, avenue for stress relief, advice, etc….bloggers are salesman and often don’t even realize it. Our readers are our customers…Thanks for the tips and food for thought

http://www.webuildyourblog.com/ Andrew Rondeau

I love the fact that you mention 9 points before mentioning ‘build your blog’!

So many clients contact me saying, “I want a blog”, and the simple question of “Why?” always stumps them.

They just don’t know and these are truly great points you mention.

Thanks.

Andrew

http://www.out-smarts.com/ Mhairi

Nice post. The only thing I would add is have patience and not just for 90 days! A blog sometimes takes months or even years to build momentum.

http://cindyking.biz/ Cindy King

LOL – Andrew, these first 9 points are the fun part. I find myself reviewing them every 2 to 3 months to stay focused.

Denise – this is a great list!

JenMitch

Love this post. I think businesses need to consider many factors (as you point out) before building a blog. I love your point about building an editorial calendar. I do this with all my clients. At the end of the day, businesses have to show ROI related to blogging. This step saves a lot of valuable working time.

http://www.AtlantaRealEstateForum.com Carol Flammer

Denise: Great post! Do you have a source for this statistic? I believe it to be true, but wonder if there is a study I can reference. . . More than 50-percent of blogs are abandoned within 90 days of launch.
Thanks!

josiecarolinesmibb0455

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http://www.facebook.com/KathleenGage Kathleen Gage

Wow Denise! You never cease to amaze me with your “spot on” content. You truly walk the talk. Not only do you let others know what they need to do, you do it. In my book, the sign of a true expert who is congruent with their knowledge, message and insights.

http://thisshouldhelp.net/ Sandra Hendricks

I found this post via a tweet by Kathleen Gage. Have you written anything on how to utilize Twitter or Facebook, that is similar to this post? I found this article to be very informative, and I am interested in learning more concerning the other social marketing sites. I would add, that correct use of grammar, spelling and punctuation, although it may seem obvious, is important.

Thanks for the insight,
Sandra

http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/ Michael A. Stelzner

Yes we have Sandra – Click on the Getting Started link at the top of this page

http://JamesHamptonBlog.com James Hampton

Hi Denise…awesome content here. I found you through a post by Kathleen Gage. My blogging tip would be to blog on a topic that is within your core competency and experience. This allows you to provide value to your readers.

Thanks for sharing Denise

James Hampton

http://caffeinekeyboard.com Carissa

Great information for new blogs! This could help a ton of people

http://www.evertjankoning.com Evert Jan Koning

Hi,

Very nice article, especially since you capture the essentials of defining goals first rather than get into the blogging itself.

Hope to read more of this,

Evert Jan Koning

http://www.livyahyarnblog.com sriga

thanks for the tips on blogging. What is your opinion about starting a blog that will only be updated about once a week for an internet based store? It seems like it would be better than nothing, or am I missing something?

http://twitter.com/CSPrestonInc Brett Miller

Solid blogging strategies here but …

The problem I see with blogging is that the primary reason most company’s blog is to improve their discoverability through Search Engine Ranks. Most companies don’t want this additional responsibility of being a content producer:

Thanks for the tips! I’ve been looking forward to starting my own blog to promote my business. My friends did say that a lot of blogs get abandoned, but I’m not that type of person. Haha! Nothing’s going to work if I’ll do things half-heartedly, right? Business owners here in Jacksonville would say the same thing. Oh, by the way, I got this tip from a friend. For blogs (or websites in general) to gain some more traffic, I heard that doing effective SEO can help you. Let’s say you own a company that sells cars, and you want to blog about those cars you have. The words you have to put in your blog are the top words that people search for in Google. =D

For those who own a local business, I think it’s really good if they would use the internet to their advantage. With the amount of users signing up in social networks today, it’s becoming easier to communicate with the people in your area. Making yourself visible to your community through the traditional print ads might be a good thing, but if you add the social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, now that’s an awesome marketing strategy. It’s good if you keep your customers up to date. Who knows? You might be able to expand soon.

hi Denise,thanks!i ve been showed my weaknesses.cos am also guilty of d crime of not planning my editorials ahead.now i enlightened! i will do better in blogging n also d recommendation u suggested!thumps up!-gbemi

Thank you so much Denise. It all seems like common knowledge, but it is good to read the same principles over and over again, that way it helps us stay on track.

Michael Bian

Good trips. Thanks for sharing!

Kaitlin

This was a really helpful blog! The tips are really helpful particularly for older businesses who are just stepping into the social media world. I would love to hear more about building your blog and creating a network of followers. I feel like this is where most business blogs fail, because they don’t feel like people are interested in their message. It would be great if you could create a post for boosting followers. Thanks again, this was a really great post!

http://www.talkaboutcreative.com.au/ TalkAboutCreative

Great post! Blogging is certainly the necessary thing these days for all businesses but its no good if you don’t have great content. If you at all are ever stuck with what ‘is good content’ see the help of a content writer to get you across the line. A small investment will go along way and always helps with your rankings.

http://www.webaspiration.com/ Keven hills

Agree with the point. Content is really very important to make an online business profitable.